Radiation colorable chromium glass



United States Patent RADIATION COLORABLE CHROMIUM GLASS John V. Fitzgerald and George S. Bachman, New Ken-' sington, Pa., assignors to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company No Drawing. Application May 19, 1952,

' Serial No. 288,748

Claims. (Cl. 49-88) 'neth B. McAlpine and Dale W. Rinehart, Serial No.

256,384, filed November 14, 1951, which is in common ownership with the present application.

The color imparted to these glasses, however, tends to fade. Some compositions of glass fade quite rapidly at first and then more slowly, other glasses will fadelrelatively rapidly and return almost totheir original color. The present invention is directed to the inclusion of chromium oxide in glasses which are colorable by high energy radiation to increase their resistance to fading which would otherwise be induced by exposure to visible and ultraviolet light.

The change induced in glasses of this type by exposure to high energy radiation may be an actual color change or it may be a darkening resulting in lower light transmission. Both effects are referred to herein as a color change: glass that is colorable by high energy radiation is intended to include glass which changes color or which decreases in light transmissibility.

Ordinary lime-soda-silicate glass turns brown when exposed to X-rays, beta rays, gamma rays, or other comparable high energy radiation. This glass will fade gradually when exposed to ordinary daylight and will bleach rapidly substantially to its original color when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, if chromium oxide (CrzOs) is added to the glass formulation in aproportion of 0.02 to 2.0 percent by weight, the resistance to fading is increased.

The following glass formulations, in which the parts are indicated by Weight, were prepared experimentally:

I I Patented Nov. 20, 1956 1 Glass No. 4: I Parts -SiO2 60 N320 C210 20 CrzOs 1.0

- Glass No. Fading Faded substantially to its original color. Slight fading. Trace of fading.

None'to slight trace of fading.

Various .theories' underlying the invention have been considered by applicants, but it is not known with cer- 'tainty exactly'what causes the increased resistance to fading. One possible explanation is that the radiation-' produced coloration in lime-soda glass is due to the formation therein of color centers or trapped. electrons which are released'readily with bleaching upon exposure to visible or ultraviolet light. 'Th'e'added chromium oxide does not inhibit the radiation coloration but may absorb or filter the visible and ultraviolet light so as to prevent its bleaching action. Another possibility is that the high energy radiation results in a photochemical change in the chromium-containing glass that makes the glass more resistant to fading.

The glass composition is subject to wide variation and may include by weight between 40 and percent of SiOz, about 20 to 60 percent of alkaline oxide, such as sodium oxide, potassium oxide, barium oxide, calcium oxide, strontium oxide, or combinations thereof, and be tween 0.02 and 2.0 percent chromium oxide.

Glass formulations having a decreased rate of fading can be produced by adding between 0.02 and 2.0 percent Cr203 to any of the compositions for radiation-sensitive glass set forth in the above-identified copending application of McAlpine and Rinehart.

It is also apparent that significant quantities of materials that render the glass resistant to coloration should be excluded. The effects of a number of such materials including cerium oxide, iron oxide, titanium oxide, antimony oxide, vanadium pentoxide, bismuth tri-oxide, and arsenic oxide, are described in the above-identified copending application.

The glasses described herein may be used to measure high energy radiation or glasses may be colored in this manner for use in other devices. For example, in applications where it is desired to provide a single glass member having different light-transmission density in different areas, radiation-colorable, fade-resistant glass With most glass formula coloration imparted to the glass by the, chromiurnoxide itself is undesirable.

We claim:

1. A fade-resistant glass consisting essentially oi a: glass;

colorable. by h h ne y r dia n. c ntainin be ween nd 2-0 Pe n y e ht o chromium oxi e. ai a s e e n st m a x f e tqnt s bs n he s t coloration of the glass by high energy radiation. A

2. A glass as claimed in claim 1 wherein the glass is a lime-soda-silicate glass.

3. A glass asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the chromium oxide comprises about one percent by weight of the glass.

4. .A glass composition consisting essentially oi about- 60 parts by weight of SiOz; about 20 parts by weight of NazO; about 20 parts by weight of CaO; and between 0.02, and 2.0 partsby weight of chromium oxide,

5. The method of making fade-resistant coloredglass comprising the steps of forming a radiationrcolorableglass substantially free from substances that inhibit C017.

oration of the glass by high energy radiation and con-. taining between 0.02. and 2.0 percent chromium oxide, and exposing said glass to high energy radiation sufii; cient to produce significant coloration thereof.

6. The method as claimed in claim, 5 wherein, dif-.

of high energy radiation to produce diiferent densities of coloration in the different parts of the glass.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the high energy radiation is X-ray radiation.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said glass includes about one percent of chromium oxide.

9, A glass composition consisting by weight of about to 80 percent of SiOz; about 20 to percent of alkaline oxide selected from. the group consisting ofisodium oxide, potassium oxide, barium oxide, calcium oxide, strontium oxide, and mixtures thereof; and between 0.02 and 2.0, percent of C1'2O3 said composition being free of significant amounts of poisons that substantially. reduce coloration of the glass by high-energy radiation.

10. A glass composition as claimedin claim 9 wherein SiOz forms about 60 percent of said glass, alkaline oxide forms about 40 percent of said glass, and CrzOs forms about one percent of said glass.

References Cited-in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Glass The Miracle Maker by Phillips, 2nd ed, published by Pitman Publishing Corp, New York, 1948, page43, Example 14. 

5. THE METHOD OF MAKING FADE-RESISTANT COLORED GLASS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A RADIATION-COLORABLE GLASS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SUBSTANCES THAT INHIBIT COLORATION OF THE GLASS BY HIGH ENERGY RADIATION AND CONTAINING BETWEEN 0.02 AND 2.0 PERCENT CHROMIUM OXIDE, AND EXPOSING SAID GLASS TO HIGH ENERGY RADIATION SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT COLORATION THEREOF. 